It is known to require the use of soil stabilising members in conjunction with retaining walls. Typical soil stabilising members comprise sheets of mesh-like material known as “geogrid”. The sheets are affixed between courses of masonry blocks used in the retaining wall construction, and extend behind the retaining wall to reinforce and stabilise the soil being retained.
There are several known methods for affixing the sheets between masonry block courses. Typically, these use pins or similar devices passed through the blocks and the sheet to restrain movement of the sheet relative to the blocks.
This process can be time consuming. Additionally, it must be done during the building of the wall, with the sheets being placed between appropriate courses whilst the wall is be constructed. This greatly reduces the efficiency of labour during construction of the retaining wall.
An alternative method which has been proposed is to use hollow blocks having a vertically aligned inner cavity, and to pass strips of soil stabilising material through the cavities of adjacent blocks. The strips can then be passed out between courses as required.
This method shares many of the disadvantages of the use of sheets described above. It requires the strips to be fed through the blocks during construction of the wall, and greatly adds to the complexity and time of the wall building process.
The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part some of the aforementioned disadvantages of previous masonry blocks and methods of affixing soil stabilising members thereto.